Fall transition

I got this dress this summer in NYC at a closeout store, the label says "Oleg Cassini Collection" but if that is true I would be shocked beyond belief! Anyway, I wore it a lot this summer and now that the weather is cooling off I figured out a way to take it into fall by adding a fitted long-sleeve top over it. As a bonus, it makes it work appropriate by covering all the cleavage this dress shows! I know its not the most flattering cut - the empire waist hits right at the widest point on my torso, but its really and truly as comfy as a nightgown while looking professional so I will continue to wear it occasionally. Probably pairing it with heels would slim out my silhouette but my feet were still sore from all the walking in 4-inch heels I did yesterday! I'm still obsessed with this flower fascinator from Target, I think I'll be wearing it a lot this fall!

:)

I got tons of compliments on this outfit all day - okay, okay, Melissa, you convinced me that a belt over a blouse is the way to dress up any outfit! I loved that this outfit was a nice bridge from summer to fall - yellow summer top, black accessories that moved it into fall. I even had someone post on my facebook page asking if it was me they'd seen in town looking so ladylike and retro! I really love my new fascinator - $10 at Target!

The necklace makes it!

I've had this top for awhile, but just haven't worn it much. However, I noticed that one of the necklaces I got at the famous Maurice's sale last week matched it perfectly! I think I'll be wearing it a lot more now! My husband and I went out for brunch and ran a couple errands the other day while the kids were in school and this was my date-day outfit. Love it! Straight cut dark wash jeans, high heels, cute purse cute top and matching necklace - what's not to like?

Church Outfit

Eh, this outfit was okay. Nothing particularly special. I was wearing a new fascinator that I made this week, but didn't get a good pic of it. Nothing too exciting going on with this ensemble!

Improved dress

I've had this Fashion Bug dress for a couple years, and it was always too long so I finally cut about 4 inches off. It was almost too much, but this is a much more flattering length for me. I have freakishly large calf muscles and so dresses that hit right at the widest part of my calves make my legs look super thick. (my calves are super-thick, but not the rest of my legs - they're just normal-thick! I often wear really high heels, partly to visually stretch out my calves) I really like this dress, I think its very flattering to my hourglass figure. I walked around all day feeling like Christina Hendricks! I wore a blue beaded necklace and simple threader earrings, it was extra fun picking out my jewelry today because I re-organized it last night - I now have a set of hooks on the wall above my jewelry box for long and bulky necklaces - I have them arranged by color and so its functional and quite pretty!

I got a haircut today, which I badly needed! I had been planning on letting my hair grow out into a shaggy, longer pixie cut - more Audrey Hepburn than Morena Baccarin. However, I have very thick coarse hair, and so it just takes too long to style at that length - its a lot of work to get it NOT to poof up during the day. So, the super-short works better for me. Ta-da!

LOVE this jacket

I got compliments on this outfit with and without the jacket. Without the jacket, I was told that I looked like I had just stepped out of Anthropologie - a store I looooove but can't afford (except for pieces from there I find at thrift stores). When I put the jacket on, people told me I looked hot! Funny, since it covered a lot more skin than without! I also had a fascinator in my hair, but had already taken it out when my husband took my picture. The skirt is from a little boutique on the Outer Banks that went out of business last year and I got the jacket at a wine festival where there was a leather shop set up.

UGH!

I wore this dress to work and when I looked at the pictures when I got home I was horrified. I definitely weigh too much to wear it right now. In fact, it looked so bad I cropped the picture so all you can really see is the top and my awesome necklace (one of the ones on sale for $1.99 at Maurices).